This blog features observations from Randy Turner, a former teacher, newspaper reporter and editor. Send news items or comments to rturner229@hotmail.com

Monday, March 14, 2016

State auditors return to Joplin next week for followup

(Joplin City Manager Sam Anselm sent the following update to City Council members Friday.)

Good afternoon, everyone. Please see below for this week’s update.

Key Meetings

-On Monday, I participated in a joint interview with radio stations from Tuscaloosa and
Springfield to answer questions about our recovery.

-On Tuesday, I met with Phil Stinnett, representing the Joplin Sports Authority, to discuss
the renewal of the lease between the city and JSA for their use of the Athletic Complex
for JSA’s office needs. The current lease is set to expire in October, so Director Garrie
and I will be working with JSA and our city attorney’s office over the next few months to
bring that lease to the council prior to its expiration.

-Later that afternoon, Director Bolander, PIO Onstot, and I participated in a conference
call with HUD officials to discuss the events planned around the five-year anniversary of
the tornado, as well as their return visit for a follow-up discussion on homelessness and
housing issues in Joplin. As dates are finalized we will keep you posted.

-On Wednesday, I had my regular meeting with Chamber President Rob O’Brian to
discuss city/chamber topics, including the advanced training center, the progress of the
Owens Corning project, and other projects.

-On Thursday, I had another phone interview with a magazine author to discuss my
perspective on the role played by Joplin Schools during our recovery and the various
efforts we worked together on.

-Later that afternoon I participated in the monthly meeting of the One Joplin initiative,
where we heard updates from the three focus teams (health, human services, and
poverty/homelessness), and began discussions about the next phase of our efforts to
fulfill the group’s mission, which is to become the best non-profit community in the
nation.

-Earlier today I attended the annual Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce board retreat, held
at Downstream Casino. The retreat was facilitated by Ian Scott, vice president of
communications and networks, with the Association of Chamber of Commerce
Executives (ACCE). We discussed their Horizon 2025 initiative and eight influences that
will impact chambers of commerce, business, and other organizations in the next ten
years, and how our own chamber can prepare and succeed in the face of the impacts
within these areas. I invite you to view the ACCE website to learn more, with a link to
their full report at the bottom of the page. The website is:
http://www.acce.org/main/horizon-initiative-chambers-2025/. Personally, I walked away
with several things to chew on, as many of the influences highlighted in the report are
issues that our organization is already, or will be, dealing with in the near future.

-The staff at the Center for Priority Based Budgeting have closed the survey that you
participated in to validate the Results that our organization is here to accomplish on
behalf of our residents. I am currently reviewing the survey information and will share
that information with you next week, but now that the results have been validated, the
next step involving the city council is to add definition to those results. For example, one
of the results that we have identified is a Safe, Secure and Prepared Community. But that
result could mean a lot of things to a lot of people, so together we will begin the process
of drilling down into the results and defining what they mean for Joplin. Thank you to
those of you who participated in the survey, and stay tuned for more to come.

-Finally, as mentioned during our council meeting this week, the state auditors will be in
town next week to perform their follow-up work. The field work for our regular audit
concluded this week as well.

About Me

I am a former teacher in the Joplin and Diamond, Missouri, school districts. Before entering the teaching field, I spent 22 years as a reporter and editor for various Southwest Missouri newspapers. I have published three novels, Small Town News, Devil's Messenger, and No Child Left Alive, and seven non-fiction books, The Turner Report, Newspaper Days, Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud, Greed, Corruption, and the Joplin Tornado, 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado, Spirit of Hope: The Year After the Joplin Tornado, Scars from the Tornado and Let Teachers Teach.

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